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Factory warranty replacement engines

entropy454

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
127
Location
Indiana
Corvette
1969 Fathom Green 427 4 speed coupe
Ive seen a lot of Vettes with what claims to be factory warranty replacement engines.
I assume this means something failed on the engine and it was under warranty and was replaced by GM.
I was wondering if that is correct, and how long did corvettes have a warranty on thier engines in 68-72?
It seems to drop the value of the car if its a big block, 5000+$. Does that seem reasonable?
Finally, is there a way to claim its a factory replacement and have it just be an engine someone put in that just is a correct year and similar engine?

thanks
 
...I was wondering if that is correct...

Yes.

... and how long did corvettes have a warranty on thier engines in 68-72?...

I believe it was 12 months or 12000 miles.

...It seems to drop the value of the car if its a big block, 5000+$. Does that seem reasonable?...

A replacement block usually decreases a Corvette's value. Whether that's "reasonable" is probably a matter of interpretation.

...is there a way to claim its a factory replacement and have it just be an engine someone put in that just is a correct year and similar engine?...

GM service replacement engines would have been the same CID and HP as the engine which failed under warranty. They are usually stamped CE to indicate a passenger car engine and usually do not have a VIN derivitive stamped on them.

:)
 
The warranty period was 5 years/50000 miles back then which explains why there's so many CE blocks out there.

There's no individual marks on a CE engine that tie it to a particular car, so there's no way of knowing if it is a bona fide direct replacement made under warranty, or was just installed in the car last week after being fished out of a donor car after a 30 year rest in a junkyard. CE engines were also sold over the counter (nothing to do with warranty) to anyone with cash.

That's why CE engines get no special recognition under NCRS rules, and the cars sell at the same price as any other NOM. Depending on which engine option the car originally had ther drop in value can be a little less than 5K, or a heck of a lot more. :ohnoes
 
Ive also been looking at a vette who claims the caris a big block car with a Date code correct engine? I assume they mean its a 427 made in 69(correct) but came from either another vette or another car? But not a replacement block or could it be?
 
...claims the caris a big block car with a Date code correct engine? I assume they mean its a 427 made in 69(correct) but came from either another vette or another car? But not a replacement block or could it be?...

Depends on what you're looking at. The NCRS says a correctly dated engine would be up to six months prior to the Corvette's assembly date. In actuality, engine assembly dates and Corvette time/build codes were usually closer than 6 months. In a rare instance, an original engine could fail and be replaced under warranty by a dealer and the replacement engine could have been assembled within six months of the vehicle's time/build date. The engine would not be original, but it could be correctly dated.

I agree with you. If the seller makes no claim the engine is original, but says it is "date code correct", it's a replacement engine -- possibly replaced under warranty, more likely replaced by the seller or a previous owner.

What is the time/build code of the car you are looking at?

:)
 
It was a car on line. It doest have a lot of inofrmation or pictures. I just thought it was interesting that they wanted about 30k$ for the car and it states in its short description that it has a 427/390hp correct date code engion.
 
I noticed another car I was keeping an eye on. They said the car had a 350 CIE. Does the CIE mean it is an exchanged engine as mentioned above?

thanks
 
I noticed another car I was keeping an eye on. They said the car had a 350 CIE. Does the CIE mean it is an exchanged engine as mentioned above?

thanks

The CIE letters are/is probably an original passenger or truck engine transplanted by the owner and from the 70`s as it does not appear in any Vette engine history. Mike is correct as CE engines were dealer replacement and also over the counter. So the dates could be anywhere and not within the 2-3 week correct factory time table because of the 5 year/50,000 warranty. No automobile vin number on them either. Similar engines were dealer installed in the various performance Chevelles and Camaros built by Yenko, Berger, and others. The factory COPO cars would not be included.
 
I was thinking maybe they menat it as a 350 Cubic Inch Engine. Not sure why they didnt type it out.
 
when i bought my 72 i was told that it was a CE engine as well. there are no VIN stamps, nothing. the date code is correct but thats about it. its also a 4 bolt main instead of the normal 2 so thats wierd.

i gave up even trying to figure it out.
 
I believe that the Chevy pickups of that era came w/ four bolt mains.
 

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